Bight stop mechanisms

ABSTRACT

A control mechanism for an ornamental stitch sewing machine including an arrangement that permits the operator to selectively adjust the bight amplitude of needle bar jogging motion and in so doing with the same hand in substantially the same motion selectively position an abutment reference means to which she may later refer for setting the bight amplitude control at the same earlier selected position.

United States Patent [72] Inventor John A. Urciola South Bound Brook. NJ. 211 Appl. No. 10.839 [22] Filed Feb. 12, 1970 [45] Patented June 8, 1971 [73] Assignee The Singer Company New York, NY.

[54] BIGHT STOP MECHANISMS 5 Claims, 5 Drawing Figs.

[52] US. Cl 112/158 [51] Int. Cl .4 D05b 3/02 [50] Field of Search 112/158, 73, 109, 111

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,238,905 3/1966 Fresard 112/158R 3,435,788 4/1969 Fresard et al 112/1 58A V Pn'mary Examiner-Richard J. Scanlan, Jr Attorneys-Marshall J. Breen, Chester A. Williams, Jr. and

Robert E. Smith \Tlli 58 55 57 6| so 23 3 2s; 24 26 I- I ifnvzlzl I A 26 ic; Ii 27 3'0 H2 2'7 PATENTEU JUN 8 IEH 3583342 xlo l3 I3 mm an in I INVENTOR.

John A. Urciola AT ORNEY BIGHT STOP MECHANISMS SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Generally it is well known in the art to equip a zigzag sewing machine with an operator-influenced bight control member for selecting the bight amplitude of the needle bar. Moreover, it is equally well known to provide a pair of adjustable reference abutments, one on each side of the bight control member which may be set independently of the bight control member to define preselected positions ofthe needle bar bight amplitude control member.

The problem confronting the operator using prior art bight stops is that while she must look at the stitching point in order to select the particular bight amplitude which is desired, she must then look at the bight amplitude control member and the bight stops to effect the bight stop adjustment. Moreover, using prior art arrangements, the bight stop adjustment requires the use of two hands since the operator must retain the bight control member setting with one hand while shifting and locking one or the other of the reference abutments into position with the other hand.

It is the object of this invention to provide the operator with an arrangement obviating the aforementioned two handed practice in that the operator may utilize the arrangement of the present invention with one hand to simultaneously select a particular bight amplitude and to selectively position one or the other of the reference abutments.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIG. 1 represents a frame of a sewing machine generally illustrating the present invention applied thereto,

FIG. 2 represents an elevational view of a bracket carrying the bight stops of this invention with the sewing machine bight control member illustrated in cross section and shown in a predetermined setting as defined by engagement with a one of the bight stop abutments,

FIG. 3 represents an elevational view of a portion of a bracket carrying the bight stops of FIG. 2 with the sewing machine bight control member illustrated in cross section in dotted lines indicating the same position shown in FIG. 2 and in solid lines indicating a raised position for releasing the abutment finger from the locking grooves,

FIG. 4 represents an exploded perspective view ofa portion of the adjustable bight stops of the present invention, and

FIG. 5 represents a top plan view of a typical sewing machine bight adjusting mechanism illustrating the cooperation of the bight control member with the sewing machine needle bar and the relationship of the bight control member with each of the adjustable bight stops of this invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION As shown in FIG. 1, a sewing machine having a frame generally designated as reference character is formed with a slotted opening 11 through which protrudes a manually adjustable bight control member 12 which is shiftable along the slotted opening 11 between a pair of bight stop abutments 13l3. Referring to FIGS. 2, 3, and 4, each of the bight stop abutments is constructed and supported in similar fashion but they are of the opposite hand, and therefore, the same reference characters will be applied to each.

The bight stop abutment 13 is formed as an out-turned tang projecting from one arm 14 of a lever 15. The lever is formed with a pair of inturned tabs 16 which are apertured as at 17 to accommodate a fulcrum pin 18. The other arm 19 of the lever is curved inwardly and serves, as will be explained hereinbelow, as a locking pawl in retaining the bight stop abutment in selected position.

Each of the fulcrum pins 18 for the levers 15 is accom modated in apertures 20 formed in a U-shaped supporting arm 21 struck out from one side of a respective one of a pair of sliding carrier plates 22. The fulcrum pins may be set into the supporting arm apertures as by a force fit. The sliding carrier plates 22 are formed preferably at each corner with an inturned tang 23 loosely and slidably to embrace a substantially rectangular support bar 24. The support bar may be formed near each extremity with an aperture 25 for accommodating fastening means such as bolts 26 illustrated in FIG. 5 for securing the support bar to the sewing machine frame.

Each of the sliding carrier plates 22 is formed with an upturned finger 27 having an aperture 28. The apertures 28 each accommodate one of the hook-shaped end portions 29 of a coil spring 30 which biases the sliding carrier plates 22 toward each other along the support bar.

The support bar 24 along that edge adjacent to the U- shaped lever-supporting arms 21 on the sliding carrier plates, is formed with a rack or a series of evenly spaced transverse notches 40. The notches 40 may be formed continuously across the entire edge of the support bar, or they may be arranged in two isolated groups as illustrated in the drawing. The curved lever arms 19 of the levers 15 cooperate with the notches 40 to lock the bight stop abutment 13 in selected position. A leaf spring 41 arranged between the sliding carrier plate 22 and the arm 14 of the lever 15 fulcrumed thereon serves to bias the curved arm 19 of the lever 15 toward engagement with the notches 40. The spring 41 is constrained in place between the carrier plate 22 and the lever 15 by the inturned tabs 16 of the lever which embrace one extremity of the spring and by an inturned ledge 42 on the lever arm 14 which embraces the other extremity of the spring.

FIG. 5 illustrates in quasi-diagrammatic fashion a sewing machine bight amplitude regulating arrangement which is typical of that which is regularly used on a number of different zigzag sewing machines. In FIG. 5, 50 denotes a sewing machine needle bar, which is reciprocable in a swinging gate 51 fulcrumed at 52 in the sewing machine frame. An actuating link 53 which is pivoted at 54 to the needle bar gate, may be actuated in a manner which is not shown but which is very well known in the sewing machine art to jog the needle bar gate to a varying degree thus to vary the bight" of zigzag stitching dependent upon the angular position in which the actuating link is constrained about the point of pivoted connection 54 with the needle bar gate. To regulate such angular position of constraint, the actuating link is formed with a longitudinal slot 55 which embraces a stud 56 carried by a bight regulator lever 57 fulcrumed on a pin 58 carried in the sewing machine frame. The bight control member 12 described earlier, includes a handle 59 exteriorly of the sewing machine frame, and for cooperation with the adjustable bight stops of this invention, it includes a flexible connection 60 with the bight-regulating lever 57. The flexible connection preferably takes the form of a thin leaf spring secured by rivets 61 to the lever 57 and secured by rivets 62 to the control member 12. The flexible connection 60 permits the machine operator to raise the control member 12 at any time and in any angular position thereof. Raising and lowering of the control member 12 is a movement which is in a different direction from that which influences a bight adjustment and raising and lowering has no effect upon the bight setting of the sewing machine needle jogging mechanism.

Referring to FIGS. 2, 3, and 4, the bight stop abutments 13 are formed with a notch delineating a substantially vertical surface 70 against which the control member abuts when it is turned and not raised. The surfaces 70 thus dictate the extreme low and high bight settings when the control member is simply shifted angularly to influence the bight. When the control member is in engagement with the surface 70 of either of the bight stop abutments l3 and the control member is raised, it will engage a horizontal surface 71 of the bight stop abutment 13 and in so doing it will cant the lever 15 so that the lever arm 19, which serves as a locking pawl, will be retracted from the notches 40 as shown in FIG. 3 and the bight stop will become biased against and movable with the control member 12.

OPERATION The sewing machine operator may perform all of the possible manipulations of the control member 12 using only one hand, and the bight stops may be set without visual attention of the operator.

With the bight stops set in any given position, the operator can swing the control member freely between the low and high bight settings dictated thereby. When the control member 12 impinges against the abutment surface 70 of either bight stop, the force exerted will urge lever arm 19 toward notches 40 because of the location offulcrum pin 18.

When the control member has been shifted into engagement with either bight stop abutment surface 70, the control member 12 may be raised to unlock that bight stop.

If the operator, while holding the control member 12 raised, adjusts the control member to a position which gives rise to a desired bight of zigzag stitching and then simply releases the control member 12, the spring 41 will automatically return the lever arm 19 to engagement with an adjacent one of the notches 40 and lock the bight stop abutment 13 in a reference position dictating the selected bight setting. The bight control member can then be moved away from that setting and later returned precisely to the same position of adjustment against the surface 70.

Having thus set forth the nature of this invention, what I claim herein is:

1. In a sewing machine having a frame and a control member which is movable in said sewing machine frame in one direction to effect a regulation of the sewing machine stitch forming instrumentalities and in another direction without influence on the stitch-forming instrumentalities; adjustable stop means comprising an abutment member, means shiftably supporting said abutment member for movement substantially in said one direction of said control member, means for biasing said abutment member toward said control member, interlocking means carried on said abutment member and on said sewing machine frame, and means effective upon movement of said control member in said another direction for separating said interlocking means.

2. Adjustable stop means as set forth in claim 1 in which said means shiftably supporting said abutment member comprises a support bar carried by the sewing machine frame, a carrier slidable along said support bar, and means pivotally connecting said abutment member to said slidable carrier, and in which said interlocking means comprises a rack formed on said support bar and a rack engaging pawl formed on said abutment member.

3. Adjustable stop means as set forth in claim 2 in which said abutment member is formed with a first abutment surface disposed in the path of movement of said sewing machine control member in said one direction, said first abutment surface being arranged relatively to said means pivotally connecting said abutment member to said slidable carrier that engagement thereof by said sewing machine control member will urge said pawl toward engagement with said rack, and in which said means for separating said interlocking means in' eludes a second abutment surface formed on said abutment member and disposed in the path of movement of said sewing machine control member in said another direction, said second abutment surface being arranged relatively to said means pivotally connecting said abutment member to said slidable carrier that engagement thereof by said control member will shift said pawl out of engagement with said rack.

4. Adjustable stop means as set forth in claim I in which a separate abutment member is arranged at each side of said sewing machine control member, and said interlocking means between each of said abutment members and said sewing machine frame is individually separable on contact of said sewing machine control member upon movement of said control member in said another direction.

5. Adjustable stop means as set forth in claim 1 in which said sewing machine control member comprises a bight control lever pivotally supported in said sewing machine frame for turning movement to regulate the bight of zigzag stitching and in which said bight control lever is articulated to move in said another direction parallel to the axis of said pivotal support without influence of the bight ofzigzag stitching. 

1. In a sewing machine having a frame and a control member which is movable in said sewing machine frame in one direction to effect a regulation of the sewing machine stitch forming instrumentalities and in another direction without influence on the stitch-forming instrumentalities; adjustable stop means comprising an abutment member, means shiftably supporting said abutment member for movement substantially in said one direction of said control member, means for biasing said abutment member toward said control member, interlocking means carried on said abutment member and on said sewing machine frame, and means effective upon movement of said control member in said another direction for separating said interlocking means.
 2. Adjustable stop means as set forth in claim 1 in which said means shiftably supporting said abutment member comprises a support bar carried by the sewing machine frame, a carrier slidable along said support bar, and means pivotally connecting said abutment member to said slidable carrier, and in which said interlocking means comprises a rack formed on said support bar and a rack engaging pawl formed on said abutment member.
 3. Adjustable stop means as set forth in claim 2 in which said abutment member is formed with a first abutment surface disposed in the path of movement of said sewing machine control member in said one direction, said first abutment surface being arranged relatively to said means pivotally connecting said abutment member to said slidable carrier that engagement thereof by said sewing machine control member will urge said pawl toward engagement with said rack, and in which said means for separating said interlocking means includes a second abutment surfaCe formed on said abutment member and disposed in the path of movement of said sewing machine control member in said another direction, said second abutment surface being arranged relatively to said means pivotally connecting said abutment member to said slidable carrier that engagement thereof by said control member will shift said pawl out of engagement with said rack.
 4. Adjustable stop means as set forth in claim 1 in which a separate abutment member is arranged at each side of said sewing machine control member, and said interlocking means between each of said abutment members and said sewing machine frame is individually separable on contact of said sewing machine control member upon movement of said control member in said another direction.
 5. Adjustable stop means as set forth in claim 1 in which said sewing machine control member comprises a bight control lever pivotally supported in said sewing machine frame for turning movement to regulate the bight of zigzag stitching and in which said bight control lever is articulated to move in said another direction parallel to the axis of said pivotal support without influence of the bight of zigzag stitching. 